Definition: (noun) A feeling of anger caused by being offended.
Synonyms: offense.
Usage: I had tried to phrase it politely, but he still took umbrage at my question.
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Month: January 2022
shorter
store – A shortened version of the obsolete astor, “stock of provisions, supplies.” More…
alligator – From Spanish el lagarto, “the lizard,” which may have come from Latin lacerta; the alligator has a shorter, blunter snout than a crocodile. More…
telescopic umbrella – An umbrella that can become shorter. More…
dog watch – A two-hour watch on board a ship, it is based on dog sleep, the light or fitful sleep typical of dogs (a catnap being even shorter). More…
Shaanxi Earthquake: Deadliest in Recorded History (1556)
The 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake in China is the deadliest earthquake on record, having killed approximately 830,000 people and destroyed an area 520 miles (837 km) wide. According to Chinese annals, mountains moved and rivers changed course due to the massive quake, which affected places more than 200 miles (322 km) from the epicenter. Aftershocks continued for months. In addition to the quake’s force—its magnitude is estimated at 8.0—the high death toll is attributed to what other factors? Discuss
Gertrude Belle Elion (1918)
After teaching chemistry because jobs for female researchers were then scarce, Elion got work as an assistant at a drug company and went on to become a pioneering US pharmacologist. With George Hitchings, she developed treatments for leukemia, autoimmune disorders, urinary tract infections, gout, malaria, and viral herpes. Although Nobel Prizes are rarely awarded to drug company employees, the duo shared in the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology. To what did Elion attribute her interest in science? Discuss
one-up (someone)
To make a point of outdoing, outperforming, outclassing, etc., someone. Watch the video
The St. Augustine Monster
When a large carcass washed ashore on the coast near St. Augustine, Florida, tales of the “St. Augustine Monster” were born. Two boys on bicycles first spotted the carcass on the evening of November 30, 1896, and reported their discovery to local physician DeWitt Webb. Webb determined that the carcass was at least 18 feet (5 m) long and estimated its weight at nearly 5 tons, if not more. Webb believed it was the remains of a giant octopus, but what has more recent analysis concluded? Discuss
vendetta
Definition: (noun) A feud between two families or clans that arises out of a slaying and is perpetuated by retaliatory acts of revenge.
Synonyms: blood feud.
Usage: No one remembers how the vendetta between the families began, but it will only end when the desire for revenge is not heeded.
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stiff
Roe v. Wade Decision Legalizes Abortion in the US (1973)
Roe v. Wade was the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the US. In 1970, an unmarried pregnant woman—who was at the time identified only as Jane Roe—filed a lawsuit because she wanted an abortion but could not legally get one in Texas. Her suit aimed to have the Texas abortion law declared unconstitutional as an invasion of her right to privacy as guaranteed by the 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 14th Amendments. How does Norma McCorvey—”Jane Roe”—view the case today? Discuss
Lord Byron (1788)
Despite being a social outcast—and self-conscious of his noticeable limp—Byron became the rock star of the Romantic period. His poetic travelogue Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage won him fame, while his complex personality, dashing good looks, and scandalous love affairs captured the imagination of Europe. His literary legacy includes the satirical epic Don Juan and the lonely, rebellious, and brooding “Byronic hero.” Who famously described Byron as “mad, bad, and dangerous to know”? Discuss